Doctor John Episode 29-30 Recap

As Yo Han gives Gi Seok chest compressions, he remembers Chief Min asking him earlier if he is thinking like a doctor. He then stops as the monitor flatlines. Si Young asks him to let Gi Seok go in peace. Yo Han slowly removes his hand and is grief-stricken as he looks at the monitor. He slowly places his hand over Gi Seok’s chest and starts crying.

Outside, Gi Seok’s mother cries as Mi Rae says she (mother) meet Gi Seok soon. Yoo Joon holds her hand and asks her to let him know if she needs any help. He says the kids who beat Gi Seok at the warehouse should be held responsible for this and be punished. The mother cries as she nods. Mi Rae says they will help her to medically prove that. Gi Seok’s mother breaks down and starts crying.

Si-young walks up to the Operating Room and sees that Yo Han is still sitting inside by himself. She walks in and goes near him. She asks if his hand is okay. She asks to see it and she takes his hand. Yo Han grabs his hand away.

Yo Han tells her to stop acting like his guardian. He says even if something isn’t wrong now, anything could happen. He says that is the fate of patients like him and Gi Seok. Yo Han says he is already broken and he might go only downhill from here. He says there is no future and tells her not to hang around him dreaming about a non-existent future. He tells her not to ruin her life and walks out.

Si Young tells him that Gi Seok isn’t Yo Han and Yo Han isn’t Gi Seok. Yo Han stops in his tracks and turns around. She says he couldn’t save Gi Seok but Yo Han is alive right now. She says he isn’t the only one who doesn’t know when he will die. She says we all live not knowing when we will die.

He asks if she hears the sound of a time bomb that can go off any moment. He asks what you can do if you are holding a time bomb. He yells asking what she wants him to do. Si Young points out that he never said that to his patients. She reminds him that even if there was no tomorrow, he wouldn’t speed up death. Her eyes tear up as she asks him why he won’t allow himself hopes and dreams. She tells him that he wants to live as well. She urges him to live for today even if there is no tomorrow.

Yo Han says he had lived for today as if there was no tomorrow. He says that is how he could do so much despite being reckless. He says he didn’t fear tomorrow but now he finds himself constantly dreaming about tomorrow. He says he keeps dreaming and worrying about something that might not even come. He says it is stopping him from living in the present. She is teary-eyed as she asks if it is because of her and he says that it is because of her.

Tears well up in his eyes as Yo Han says it was because of her that he was able to dream for the first time and it made him happy. He says now he is going to go back to being the reckless person who does many things and didn’t fear tomorrow. Yo Han walks out of the Operating room. Si Young breaks down into tears after he leaves.

As Yo Han walks in the corridor he recalls Si Young saying that she liked him and all the times they spent together. He recalls her asking him to console her, as she is the one who will be losing him.

(Episode 29- The heart of the one who leaves)

A news telecast says that Lee Won Gil was found dead in his house and the prosecution found out about and illegal drug after the investigation.

At the press conference, Son says that two other victims also passed away due to the abuse of the same drug. He says Lee Won Gil’s death was assisted by a third party. He says the two prime suspects have already fled abroad and they have requested Interpol for help. He adds that they are investigating if Zinmu Rijund has a part to play in the manufacturing and distribution of the illegal drug.

Yi Moon and Chief Min watch this on TV. Yi Moon is shocked to hear this. He says the legal team’s office was searched as well. Min says that she will be questioned as a witness and wonders why Lawyer Han did something like this.

Yi Moon mentions that a Lawyer volunteered to defend a doctor who euthanized a patient and a former Health and Welfare Minister who make euthanasia pills. When asked what their purpose was, Min says they wanted to legalise euthanasia. He asks if she knows anything and she says she doesn’t know anything. Yi Moon says Yo Han had nothing to do with this since he wasn’t questioned. He asks her to ask Yo Han. She refuses saying he won’t stay in the hospital anyway. She asks him to ask Yo Han himself if he is curious.

Elsewhere, Son receives a call from Eun Jeong who says she is shocked and that it must’ve been tough. Son says it wasn’t tough as she had sent him a text on Death Talks and he got a tip-off from someone. She asks if it is Cha Yo Han and he confirms it. She asks what he said about the online post. He says Yo Han told it doesn’t matter.

Later, Eun Jeong is deep in thought. She recalls the day when she had walked out of Seung Kyu’s room with the clinical trial agreement. She had dropped the paper and Yo Han had picked it up and given it to her before walking into Seung Kyu’s room.

Meanwhile, the nurses learn from Yoo Joon that Yo Han isn’t going to return. Mi Rae asks whose decision it was. Yoo Joon says the hospital was going to go with the patient’s opinion but Yo Han didn’t accept it. He says Yo Han will leave after treating a few patients. They wonder if he was affected by what happened to Gi Seok.

Si Young is walking in the corridor as she recalls Yo Han saying that he wants to go back to being the reckless person who didn’t fear tomorrow.

Yo Han walks down the stairs and stops as he sees Si Young walking into the Pain Management Centre. He walks in after her.

In the meeting room, he commends the team for their good work and thanks them. He then apologises to them. Heo Joon asks if another hospital hired him. Yo han says no and Won Hee asks why he was leaving. Yo Han changes the subject by saying they have to treat patients. He says he will clear up everything in a few days. He asks Yoo Joon to take over his work and Yoo Joon agrees. Yo Han gets up and goes away.

Meanwhile, Son is driving when his chest starts paining. He tries to take his pills but the pills fall out of his hands. The car swerves dangerously as he loses control but he manages to stop the car in time. He tries to make a call but he drops the phone, clutching his chest in pain. Another driver walks up to him and asks if he is okay. The person calls 911.

In the ambulance, Son asks to be taken to Hanse Medical Center.

Yo Han walks into the ICU and asks Son what happened. Son says he lost his consciousness in pain. He says he feels better after taking pain relievers. He says the pains are getting worse and it is getting harder to live a normal life. Yo Han tells him to get hospitalised and says he will find a way.

In the Pain Management Centre, Si Young overhears Yoo Joon saying that an emergency patient asked for Yo Han. Yo Han walks in and says he will treat his next patient after 10 minutes. After he goes to his office, Si Young checks the medical chart and sees that the patient is Son.

Yo Han checks Son’s chart and starts tapping his finger on the chair.

(Episode 29- Don’t leave)

Yo Han goes to Son’s room. Son says he got better briefly but got bad again. Yo Han says he checked the charts and says Son has already received a lot of narcotic analgesics (pain killers). He says Son will need Intrathecal pump insertion (An intrathecal pain pump is a surgically implanted drug delivery system that sends pain medication directly to the spinal cord. The system uses a small pump that is surgically placed under the skin of the abdomen. The pump delivers medication through a catheter to the area around the spinal cord.)

Yo Han says it has fewer side effects than oral drugs and more effective. Son agrees to have the procedure and Yo Han says he will schedule the surgery for tomorrow. As he is about to leave, Son asks if Yo Han isn’t asking why he chose Yo Han over many other doctors. Yo Han smiles as he asks if it was because he is tenacious. Son smiles as he says what he needed desperately was that tenacity towards the patients. He asks Yo Han to be tenacious towards him too and Yo Han nods in acknowledgement.

The team goes over Son’s case before leaving for the day. Si Young gathers her papers and arranges them. Yo Han sits in his chair but doesn’t look at her. She pauses for a moment and then leaves. Yo han looks up after she leaves.

As Yo han gets off work, Si Young walks up to him outside the hospital. She asks if he is going to do that research which finds a substance to suppress pain using the DNA of people with CIPA. Yo Han confirms it. She says that as a scholar and someone with CIPA she knew he would participate. She asks him if it was his choice and he says yes.

She asks, “What about me?” She says her life changed completely because of him. She asks if it didn’t change for him. She says he told her earlier that she made him dream and be happy. She asks what he dreamt and why he was happy. She asks him to answer him. She tells him to go when he must but answer her first.

Yo Han asks her to snap out of it and face reality. He says he doesn’t want to talk to her about these things anymore. He tells her not to wait for his answer and walks away.

Yo Han does his daily tests at home. He draws the blood and puts the syringe on the tray. He brings his hands up to his head and presses his temples as if he is in pain. He then takes a deep breath.

The following morning, Yo Han takes Son in for the procedure. He notices that Si Young doesn’t meet his eye the entire time.

After the procedure, Yo Han checks Son’s IV in his room. As he walks out, he passes Eun Jeong without giving her a second glance. Eun Jeong (has come to visit Son) stops in her tracks, as she sees Yo Han walk by.

Yo Han then stops for a moment and turns around. He walks back towards her and stands in front of her. She says that it has been a while. She says she poured all her rage and resentment on to him for letting Seong Kyu die peacefully and yet he carried on as if everything was fine. She says he has to be as miserable as she was because of Seung Kyu’s death for her to finally feel better, but he didn’t respond at all. She asks him to tell her why. She asks why he didn’t tell everyone that it was all done by a nurse who had a grudge against the patient.

In a flashback at his trial, Yo Han says he had no idea about the consent form till the day after Seung Kyu died.

In another flashback, Eun Jeong signs the consent form putting the pen in an unconscious Seung Kyu’s hand. She then walks out of the room and bumps into Yo Han in the corridor. She drops the consent form and Yo Han picks it up. He sees Seong Kyu’s signature on the form and he looks at her.

Yo Han asks her if she is okay and hands the consent form back to her before heading in.

At present, Yo Han says he had found it strange that Seung Kyu had signed the consent form. He says he then realised that Eun Jeong may be the family of the victim. He says once he found that out, he had no reason to mention the form. He says it was only natural for her to be angry at what he had done. He says she had just then lost her child. He asks how she could’ve survived the reality without venting her anger on him. He apologises for causing her such pain. Eun Jeong’s eyes well up as he apologises again. He says he hopes she can be at peace now. Yo Han walks away. Eun Jeong loses her footing and holds the wall for support.

Eun Jeong is crestfallen as she walks into Son’s room. She walks up to his bed and breaks down into tears.

Meanwhile, Chief Min receives a call. She goes to her husband’s room. The doctor tells her that the chairman’s BP has been fluctuating for the past week. He adds that the cerebral oxymeter (for cerebral oxygenation) dropped too. He says that the EEG shows that he is almost brain dead.

Chief Min walks up beside her husband’s bed. She leans on his chest and starts to cry.

Si Young and Mi Rae are in the meeting room when they get a call (from Jung Kyu and Min) at the same time. They both take the call and Si Young hangs up saying she will be there. Mi Rae’s eyes well up. Si Young pulls out a file that has a photo of her dad and her. She picks a card that says, “Seeds of Hope” “Stepping stone to sharing life” (organ donor card).

As Si Young gets up, Mi Rae starts crying saying she is scared. Si Young takes Mi Rae’s hand and calls her to go see their dad. They head out together.

Si Young and Mi Rae run into their father’s room where Min and Joo Kyung are there. Min says the ethics commission decided to take him off the ventilator after deliberation. Si Young nods slowly while Mi Rae cries. Joo Kyung says they waited to tell them until the decision was made. Min Tells them what the doctor had told her. Si Young places a kiss on her father’s cheek while Mi Rae holds his hand. Si Young tells him that he fought well. Mi Rae says she will miss him a lot and asks him to rest in peace.

Si Young tells Min that she found an organ donor card in her father’s wallet on the day of the accident. Min says he won’t be able to donate much but Si Young says it is his final wish. Min says they made it together. She agrees to do it and says it is something that only a brain dead person can do. Mi Rae holds Si Young’s hands and nods at her.

Si Young, Chief Min, Mi Rae, Joo Kyung, Yoo Joon and Yi Moon wheel the gurney into the Operating room with other doctors following them. As the gurney is taken into the OR, Min’s eyes well up. Si Young whispers in her father’s ears not to worry about them and asks him to rest in peace. She says they will meet again. Mi Rae cries as she bids goodbye to him. Chief Min removes her wedding ring and puts it on her husband’s little finger. She then gestures for him to be taken inside.

They watch from outside in silence as the surgeons pay respect for the patient. The surgeon says, “Let’s have a moment of silence. The donor has been loved and will be missed by many. He left us today after spreading flowers of love everywhere. May the love shared by the deceased spread far and wide. May the deceased rest in peace.”

Min tries to console Mi Rae who is sobbing.

At Si Young’s dad’s funeral, Yoo Joon, Heo Joon and Won Hee pay their respects. Si Young notices that Yo Han isn’t around. Later, Si Young pays the last rights as her voiceover says, “I was always afraid of saying goodbye to you but now I am more afraid of being left alone. Dad, how many goodbyes will I have to say in my life? How afraid will I be every time?”

Yo Han walks up to his father’s memorial. He places a flower over it and runs his hand over the photo in the memorial.

At the hospital, Yoo Joon tells Heo Joon and Won Hee that Si Young and Mi Rae will be taking this week off. Won Hee asks if he heard from Yo Han. He says Yo Han didn’t attend the funeral also. Yoo Joon says that Yo Han is leaving today.

Its night as Yo Han sits with his phone in his hand. He sees the screen with Si Young’s number on it but doesn’t call her. He gets up and walks away after looking at his home one last time.

Meanwhile, Si Young is in her room when the doorbell rings. Mi Rae is at the door and she says she wants to move back here. They both cry as Si Young hugs her and welcomes Mi Rae back. Mi Rae cries as she apologises to Si Young and Si Young apologises to Mi Rae.

Later, Mi Rae receives a call from Yoo Joon and Si Young asks her to take it. After hanging up, she says Yoo Joon wants to eat with them. Si Young asks her to go but Mi Rae is persistent saying Si Young hasn’t eaten much in days. Si Young says she wants to rest and says she doesn’t think she can eat much. She asks Mi Rae to thank Yoo Joon for what he did for them. Mi Rae starts to say something but she doesn’t.

(Episode 30- Chairman’s funeral)

At the restaurant, Yoo Joon serves a large helping for Mi Rae. She says she is worried about Si Young and asks if Yo Han is really leaving today. She says she is sure something happened between the two but she can’t bring herself to ask her. Mi Rae is angry as she asks how Yo Han can be so cold to SI Young. She raises her voice saying SI Young had to let both her father and Yo Han go. Yoo Joon looks around before explaining that Yo han is leaving like this because it is too much for her. Mi Rae says he is leaving without seeing Si Young. Yoo Joon comments that she is frustrating. Mi Rae is furious that he is siding with Yo Han. Yoo Joon says he isn’t taking sides.

Mi Rae realises Yoo Joon knows something. She asks him if he is keeping something from her. She asks him to tell her. She yells out his name, as he doesn’t reply.

Mi Rae rushes home and wakes Si-young up. She says Yo Han will be boarding the flight soon. She asks her to go see him. Si Young says she won’t go. She asks Mi Rae why should she go to the airport. Mi Rae says Si Young will regret it later if she doesn’t go to the airport now. She says there is a reason she must go.

Yo Han’s cab drops him at the airport and he goes inside.

Meanwhile, Yoo Joon drives Si Young to the airport. Yoo Joon apologises for not having told her sooner. He says Yo Han had told him not to.

Mi Rae’s voiceover says that on the day their dad died, Cha Yo Han was next to Si Young.

In a flashback, we see Yo Han in his scrubs, taking over the Ambu bag after Si Young’s father’s gurney is taken into the operating room. Later on, even after everyone leaves, Yo han stands with her father till the very end.

Tears trickle down Si Young’s face on the way to the airport.

Yo Han takes his boarding pass and waits for the call to bard the flight.

Si Young runs into the airport. She checks the departures and runs searching for him. She doesn’t notice Yo Han who is sitting on the other side. She keeps calling him on the phone. Yo Han walks towards to the queue and he doesn’t notice her.

Yo Han waits in the queue to board the plane. He receives Si Young’s call. He stops and looks at the phone. His finger moves towards the green button but he hesitates to click on it. Yo Han stands still as the queue moves on. Just then, Si Young spots him in the line. She puts down the phone and looks at him. Yo Han’s finger is near the green button but he doesn’t take the call yet. He sees a pair of shoes come and stand in front of him.

Yo han looks up to see that it is Si Young. Si Young says, “You made me happy and because of you I learned to love. My life, the work I do and you Cha Yo Han. I wanted to tell you that.”

Yo Han says, “You are the only person that ever understood me, my illness and me as a person. My world that was neither hot nor cold turned warm after I met you. Si Young cries as she asks, “Why didn’t you give me an answer when you had such a great one?”

Yo Han says, “Because it means I love you. How can someone who is leaving confess his love?” Si Young says, “You can. You can talk about love at any time. Even more so if you don’t know your tomorrow.”

Yo Han leans in and kisses her. He looks at her and says, “I love you”. Si Young responds saying “I Love you too”. Yo Han’s eyes well up as Si Young smiles slightly and he kisses her again.

One morning, Si Young goes into the empty meeting room. She opens her inbox to find the email from Yo Han titled November 10 vitals. She opens it to find with his vitals for the day. Si Young notes it down on her diary. She writes 2019.11.10 and jots down the vitals as she has been doing all these days. She takes a red pen and writes, “Be like this every day”.

Yi Moon walks into the chairman’s office proudly. Kwon Suk says the voting will be a formality and after that, YI Moon will be officially the chairman. Yi Moon says they have to open a pain management centre for VIP patients. He says they should attract foreigners as well and Kwon Suk acknowledges. Yi Moon asks if there are any more candidates and Kwon Suk says there aren’t.

Chief Min walks into her office. Joo Kyung tells Min that many are worried the hospital won’t function according to Yi Suk’s wishes if Yi Moon takes over as chairman. She says she thinks the board wants Min to be the chairman.

Si Young runs into the meeting room and others are already present. Mi Rae smiles as Si Young takes out her diary and opens her email. Won Hee and Heo Joon tease Si Young as she is always here at 7 am to check Yo Han’s vitals. Mi Rae asks what is wrong with that and they say it is romantic that Yo Han sends the mail daily without fail and Si Young checks them without fail. They say it is true love and comment that they are jealous. Si Young and Mi Rae smile hearing this.

Si Young’s smile fades when she sees that there is no new mail today. The room goes silent as Si Young calls up Yo Han. The call goes unattended. Mi Rae asks how long it has been since she spoke with him and she says it has been a few days. Si-young says he seemed busy but she seems worried. Mi Rae asks her to wait a bit.

Si Young sends Yo Han a message asking if something is wrong, as she didn’t get a mail. She asks him to get back to her. She gets no response to the text either. She grows extremely worried as she looks at the screen displaying the message, “no new mail”.

Image Courtesy- SBS

Review

This was a great penultimate episode and it was heavy on emotion.

It was revealed that Yo Han has known about Eun Jeong all along. The scene with Yo Han talking to Eun Jeong was unexpected and it showed how selfless he is. The entire scene and the dialogues were well made. It looks like finally, Eun Jeong has come to terms with reality.

Si Young had a terrible time in this episode. There were so much of emotions bottled up that she had to deal with on her own. The scene where they bid goodbye to Si Young’s father was deep-seated and emotive.

The dialogues in all the scenes where Si Young and Yo Han shared screen space were well-written. It makes one agree with both Si-young and Yo Han’s opinions on their relationship when seen from their shoes.

From the looks of how the series was progressing, it looked like Yo Han was never going to acknowledge his love for Si Young. I was glad when he finally did. The emails towards the end of the episode show that Yo han and Si Young’s relationship has become healthier and stronger than before which is great.

It was good to see the sisters bonding again and being supportive of each other

This episode concluded with a cliff-hanger and I hope we get a fitting finale to such a great series.